The present invention relates generally to folding puzzles, and more specifically, to folding puzzles comprising decoding lenses and encoded images. The folding puzzles are capable of being folded in a variety of ways to generate assembled decoded images from combination decoding lens lens/encoded image portions.
Folding picture puzzles are well known in the entertainment, amusement and toy industry. There is always a demand for new, more challenging puzzles with enhanced aesthetic appeal to provide users with more entertainment.
Folding picture puzzles generally form an assembled image from a group of image portions distributed on a sheet. By folding the paper along a series of predetermined fold-lines, distributed image portions form a desired assembled image. By employing a variety of predetermined folding patterns and different image portions, a variety of assembled images can be formed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,327,875 and 2,327,876 to H. Edborg, U.S. Pat. No. 2,655,382 to C. Belsky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,355 to S. Finkin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,380 to N. Polsky, U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,520 to Matos, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,759,328 and 5,833,789 both to Rosendale et al. are all directed to folding picture puzzles of a variety of constructions. The disclosures of these patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The Edborg patents depict two embodiments of a folding picture puzzle. The ""876 patent covers a six-pointed star shaped puzzle having plural fold-lines and a single incision extending from the center to the outer periphery of the star. The puzzle comprises a single two-sided sheet of paper having image portions distributed on upper and lower surfaces. By folding the papers in a variety of ways, different assembled images are formed. The ""875 patent covers a square shaped puzzle having plural fold-lines and four incisions. Each incision extends from the outer periphery of the paper toward the interior of the paper. Although the construction between the two embodiments is different, they operate in essentially the same manner.
The ""382 patent to Belsky discloses a folding picture puzzle comprising a single sheet having a variety of fold-lines thereon, so that when the paper is folded along those lines, a particular assembled image is formed. The folded paper toy assumes a rectangular form when folded.
The Finkin patent is directed to an educational folding picture puzzle comprising a single sheet having defined portions, the portions being a central planar portion and a plurality of arm members extending from the edges of the central planar portion. Again, by folding this paper along any of a variety of creases, a variety of assembled images are formed.
The ""380 patent to Polsky discloses a folding picture puzzle comprising a single two-sided sheet of paper having a patchwork of partial picture images printed on at least one side, the paper being divided into at least sixteen equal uniform squares by a combination of eight incisions and plural creases or fold-lines. The incisions extend from the outer periphery of the square inward. By folding along the incisions or creases, a variety of complete individual images can be formed. Depending on the way the patchwork of picture images is printed on the surface of the puzzle, this type of puzzle can form eight to about thirty-two assembled images.
The ""520 patent to Matos discloses a unique fold-through puzzle known as the RIKIGAMI(trademark) puzzle comprising one or more sheets having a plurality of image portions printed on at least one side of the sheet. The puzzle has a centrally located aperture through which the surrounding peripheral image bearing portions are adapted to pass. As the puzzle is folded toward the central aperture, assembled images are formed. Depending on the shape of the sheet, the number of sheets and the particular fold pattern selected, this type of puzzle can form four to about thirty-six or more assembled images.
The ""328 and ""789 patents to Rosendale et al. disclose another fold-through puzzle known as the FLAPPER(trademark) puzzle which comprises four sheets that are affixed to one another in paired overlapping arrangement. As with the other puzzles, the sheets bear image portions that form assembled images when they are brought together. This type of puzzle can only form four assembled images.
None of the known folding puzzles bear more than one image per puzzle section. Accordingly, the maximum number of image portions borne by any of the known puzzles is equal to the total number of puzzle sections that comprise the puzzle. It would be preferred to have a puzzle that has a greater number of image portions than it has of puzzle sections thereby increasing the number of assembled images that can be formed by the puzzle without increasing the number of puzzle sections the puzzle has. A puzzle of this preferred construction would have improved versatility and would provide more entertainment than known puzzles.
Lenticular image products are well known. These products comprise an overlying lenticular lens that decodes an underlying and attached lenticular image. By viewing the lenticular article in different positions, a viewer will see two or more different decoded lenticular images beneath the lenticular lens. Lenticular lenses affixed to respective substrates bearing respective lens-resolvable linear-patterned encoded images are commercially available. The lines from the patterned image must be in alignment with the lenticules of the lenticular lens in order to form a readily viewable resolved image. Known lenticular lens/patterned image-bearing substrate combinations have generally met this requirement by permanently affixing the substrate directly onto the back of the lenticular lens or by directly printing the patterned image onto the back of the lenticular lens.
Such substrates in combination with lenticular lenses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,452 to Goggins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,313 to Steenblik et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,964 to Taylor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,495 to Steenblik et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,335 to Fotland, U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,433 to Appledorn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,565 to Alasia, U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,632 to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,195 to Braunhut, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
To date, lenticular, or decoding, lenses have not been incorporated into a folding puzzle. By incorporating combination decoding lens/encoded image portions into a folding picture puzzles, the number of assembled images that can be formed by the folded puzzle is significantly increased when compared to a similar puzzle not having these portions, and the versatility of the puzzle is improved. There is no teaching or suggestion in the art of the invention as described and claimed herein.
The present invention provides a folding picture puzzle having many novel and entertainment enhancing aspects and features. One aspect of the invention provides a folding picture puzzle capable of continually folding in a first forward direction to form assembled images without having to unfold in a second reverse direction. In this embodiment, the invention provides a fold-through picture puzzle comprising a sheet having a defined length, width and shape comprising: an outer periphery; an edge defining an aperture in said base sheet, the aperture having a defined length, width, area and shape; and a foldable peripheral portion having a defined area completely surrounding said aperture and being operable to fold-through said aperture. The foldable peripheral portion bears one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions which forms an assembled decoded image when the puzzle is folded.
In some embodiments of the invention, the aperture is disposed approximately centrally in the sheet. In other embodiments, the length and width of the aperture are approximately equal and approximate one-fourth to three-fourths of the length or width of the sheet. The aperture can be formed from plural connecting, bisecting or intersecting incisions in the sheet. In yet other embodiments, the area of the peripheral portion can be approximately three-fourths to fifteen times the area of the aperture.
While some embodiments of the invention provide an asymmetrically shaped sheet and/or aperture, other embodiments provide a symmetrically shaped sheet and/or aperture. Still other embodiments of the invention provide a sheet and/or aperture shaped as a circle, triangle, oval, square, rectangle, pentagon, parallelogram, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, multi-sided polygon having nine or more sides or a three- to twenty-pointed star.
Another aspect of the invention provides a folding picture puzzle having plural stacked sheets that share a common complementary portion. This aspect provides a folding puzzle which can fold to a large number of configurations forming a corresponding large number of assembled decoded images. This particular aspect is especially useful in making an entirely new form of interactive book. Thus, one embodiment of the invention provides a folding puzzle comprising plural superposed attached sheets each having a respective defined length, width, area and shape, and one or more of each comprising a foldable peripheral portion which bears a combination decoding lens/encoded image portion wherein the foldable peripheral portion is operable to fold and form an assembled decoded image. Each of the plural superposed attached sheets can be attached to another at a respective complementary location.
In another embodiment, the invention provides an interactive fold-through book comprising plural superposed attached sheets wherein:
each of the sheets has a defined shape, an edge defining an aperture having a defined shape, an outer periphery and a foldable peripheral portion bearing one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions completely surrounding the aperture for folding through the aperture;
the aperture of each sheet superposes the aperture of another sheet;
each of the sheets is attached to another at a respective complementary location, of a respective foldable peripheral portion adjacent a respective aperture; and
one or more assembled decoded images are formed by folding said foldable peripheral portions.
By folding the sheet in a variety of ways along specific fold-lines, assembled decoded images will form. The assembled decoded images include any type of image. As well, the surface of the sheet can bear additional texture enhancing features. The assembled images can include text, graphics, colored patches, buildings, people, animals, food, toys, weapons, machinery, caricatures, fanciful figures, logos, letters, spaceships, and air, land or water borne vehicles, geometric patterns, irregular shapes, and the like, i.e. any image imaginable.
Another aspect of the invention provides a fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle which can fold through and, in some embodiments, invert itself. The 3-dimensional puzzle can be formed from circles, ellipses, ovals, triangles, rectangles, squares, pentagons, parallelograms, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, polygons having nine to twenty sides and combinations thereof. Thus, one embodiment of the invention provides a fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle comprising a single foldable sheet having a defined 2-dimensional shape, said sheet comprising:
edges defining plural juxtapositionable apertures;
a foldable peripheral portion bearing one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions and completely surrounding said plural apertures for folding through said plural apertures when juxtapositioned; and
an outer periphery having plural mutually attachable portions;
the sheet being folded to form a 3-dimensional object having a defined shape.
In another embodiment, the fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle comprises plural attached, foldable sheets which together form a 3-dimensional object wherein at least two of said sheets have an edge defining an aperture completely surrounded by a respective peripheral portion which is operable to fold-through the apertures, and the apertures are juxtapositionable. Some embodiments of the fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle can employ additional incisions to facilitate folding of the sheet and folding of the foldable peripheral portions through the apertures.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle comprising plural attached, foldable sheets which together form a 3-dimensional object having a defined shape, wherein:
each sheet has a defined 2-dimensional shape and comprises a respective outer periphery;
at least two of said sheets each has an edge defining an aperture completely surrounded by a respective foldable peripheral portion bearing one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions, said apertures being juxtapositionable to one another;
said sheets are attached adjacent respective outer peripheries; and
assembled decoded images are formed when said sheets are folded.
In another aspect, the invention is a novelty piece which can be folded in different orientations to present a plurality of different sides or faces bearing assembled decoded images. This aspect of the invention provides a novelty piece that can be folded in a first position to show one face or side, opened to a second position to show a different second face or side, opened to a third position to show different third face or side and finally opened to a fourth position to show a different fourth face or side. One or more of the sides will bear cooperating combination decoding lens/encoded image portions which portions, when placed adjacent one another, will form an assembled decoded image.
Another aspect of the invention provides a folding picture puzzle comprising a sheet which includes a plurality of folding lines which divide the sheet into plural sections, wherein each section includes an upper surface and a bottom surface. The sections are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and two or more of the sections comprise a combination decoding lens/encoded image portion. The puzzle also includes cut-lines which extend from the outer periphery of a first edge of the sheet toward a second edge of the sheet. The cut-lines are provided along one or more fold-lines between the rows and one or more fold-lines between the columns. As the sections and combination decoding lens/encoded image portions are folded toward one another, assembled encoded images are formed. The sections of the sheet and the sheet itself can be shaped as desired and are preferably geometrically shaped.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a folding puzzle comprising a sheet defined by opposing edges and having four or more fold-lines dividing the sheet into nine or more sections. Four or more of the sections each bears a combination decoding lens/encoded image portion. At least two cut-lines are provided in the puzzle, and the cut-lines are provided along one or more fold-lines. According to the desired complexity of the puzzle and the desired number of puzzle sections, the number and location of fold-lines, the shape of the sheet and puzzle sections, and the number of cut-lines can be varied.
In a preferred embodiment, the puzzle comprises a rectangular or square shaped sheet having four columns defined by three fold-lines and three rows defined by two fold-lines. Further, two of the columns are divided at their ends by cut-lines which are coincident with portions of the respective column forming fold-lines and the ends of the three rows are the divided by cut-lines which are coincident with portions of the respective row forming fold-lines.
Another preferred embodiment comprises a sheet including a plurality of folding lines provided therein so as to divide the sheet into twelve sections, each section including an upper surface and a lower surface and the sections being arranged in a matrix including three first, second and third rows and first, second, third and fourth columns. Cut-lines are provided between adjacent first sections of the second and third columns, respectively, and between adjacent third sections of the second and third columns, respectively. Additional, cut-lines are provided between adjacent first, second and third sections of the first column and between adjacent first, second and third sections of the fourth column. At least four sections of the puzzle bear respective combination decoding lens/encoded image portions which when place adjacent one another form assembled decoded images. In another preferred embodiment, the sheet includes a plurality of fold-lines which divide the sheet into sixteen section, each section having an upper and lower surface and the sections being arranged in first, second, third and fourth columns and first, second, third and fourth rows. Cut-lines are provided between adjacent first sections of the second and third columns, respectively, and between adjacent fourth sections of the second and third columns, respectively. Cut-lines are also provided between one or more of the adjacent first and second, second and third and third and fourth sections of the first and fourth columns.
Another aspect of the invention provides a folding picture puzzle comprising a geometrically shaped sheet divided into two or more major sections, wherein at least two of the sections bear combination decoding lens/encoded image portions. Adjacent ones of the major sections are separated by major fold-lines and one or more of the major sections can include 0, one or more minor fold-lines dividing the major section into one or more minor sections. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet includes one or more cut-lines along one or more minor fold-lines such that at least one major section having minor fold-lines, minor cut-lines and minor sections is formed. The major and/or minor sections can independently bear combination decoding lens/encoded image portions that form one or more assembled decoded images when the puzzle is folded along major and/or minor fold-lines.
Another aspect of the invention provides a picture puzzle comprising a cross-shaped sheet divided into top, bottom, left, right and central major sections, wherein at least two of the sections bear combination decoding lens/encoded image portions. In another preferred embodiment, the sheet is shaped as a square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, heptagon or octagon. By proper selection of the number and disposition of major and minor fold-lines in the sheet, a major and/or minor section will be independently shaped as a square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, heptagon or octagon. In another preferred embodiment, the sheet is shaped as a three to six pointed star. In another preferred embodiment, the cut-lines extend from a first portion of the periphery of the sheet toward the center of the sheet, and/or toward a second portion of the periphery of the sheet. In another preferred embodiment, the cut-lines extend from one or more of the apexes of a geometrically shaped sheet.
Another aspect of the invention provides a folding picture puzzle that is a multi-sided novelty piece. The novelty piece is foldable in different orientations to present a plurality of different sides at least one of which bears an assembled lenticular image formed from two separate combination decoding lens/encoded image portions. The multi-sided novelty piece is formed from one or more flexible sheets bearing at least one combination decoding lens/encoded image portion on each side of the sheet. Adhesive is applied at preselected locations of the sheet and the sheet is folded thereby aligning the adhesive sections as required. The novelty pieces are then cut out of the sheet. The final novelty piece is foldable to a first position to form a first face comprising two first face halves. The novelty piece is then foldable to a second position to form a second face comprising two second face halves. The novelty piece is then foldable to a third position to form a third face comprising two third face halves. The novelty piece is then foldable to a fourth position to form a fourth face comprising two fourth face halves. Finally, the novelty piece is foldable to the first position again. At least one of the four faces bears a decoded image comprising a first combination decoding lens/encoded image portion superposing a face half and a second combination decoding lens/encoded image portion superposing the respective other face half. In a preferred embodiment, each of the four faces independently comprises an assembled decoded image formed from two combination decoding lens/encoded image portions.
In other preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more parts of the folding picture puzzle are edible or made from comestible materials. For example, the decoding lens will comprise a substantially transparent candy material, and the sheet can comprise a flexible material containing juice syrup or residue.
In other preferred embodiments, two or more folding picture puzzles according to the invention are included within a book, magazine, packet, newspaper, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet, flyer, booklet, or pad. A single folding picture puzzle can also comprise two or more sheets, and a single sheet can comprise two or more folding picture puzzles.
Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of preparing a folding picture puzzle comprising one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions, the method comprising the following steps of:
1) providing a flexible or foldable sheet; and
2) placing an encoded image portion on a section of said sheet and superposing said encoded image portion with a decoding lens that decodes the encoded image portion; or
3) attaching a preformed combination decoding lens/encoded image portion to a section of said sheet.
The method of the invention can further comprise one or more of the following steps:
a) repeating step 2) one or more times;
b) repeating step 3) one or more times;
c) placing on said sheet one or more image portions that are not encoded;
d) folding or scoring said puzzle to facilitate folding;
e) placing one or more apertures in said sheet to form a fold-through picture puzzle;
f) providing one or more additional sheets;
g) folding and cutting said sheet;
h) cutting and folding said sheet;
i) applying adhesive to one or more sections of said sheet;
j) assembling a plurality of said folding picture puzzles; and
k) including one or more of said folding picture puzzles in a book, magazine, packet, newspaper, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet, flyer, booklet, or pad.
The method of the invention can be performed on conventional equipment already used in the printing industry and/or in the lenticular products industry.
Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by the following description, accompanying examples and appended claims.